Optical transport system

ABSTRACT

A bi-directional, redundant, optical transport system is configured to provide a non-blocking, bi-directional, multi-channel, protocol independent optical transport system for the simultaneously transfer of digital, analog, and discrete data between a plurality data terminal equipment. The optical transport system includes a light transmission line for transmitting light bi-directionally and a plurality of nodes, connected in series by the light transmission line for receiving, extracting and passing signal light. Each node comprises: data terminal equipment for issuing and receiving electrical signals; an electro-optical interface device, associated the data terminal equipment, for converting electrical signals issued by the associated data terminal to signal light for insertion onto the light transmission light and for converting signal light, extracted from the light transmission line into electrical signals to be received by the associated data terminal; a translation logic device connected between the optical interface device and the data terminal equipment, for performing required protocol translation for the data terminal equipment and an optical interface device, connected to the electro-optical interface device and the light transmission line, for extracting signal light from the light transmission line to be converted into electrical signals by the electro-optical interface device for recipient by the data terminal equipment, for inserting, onto the light transmission line, signal light received from the electro-optical interface device and for passing signal light bi-directionally on the light transmission line.

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 08/831,375 filed Apr. 1, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,901,260.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to an optical transport systemfor transmitting, extracting, and inserting light bi-directionally on alight transmission line, and more particularly to a redundant,non-blocking, bidirectional, multi-channel, protocol independent opticaltransport system for the simultaneous transfer of multiple, opticallyencoded signals.

2. Background Discussion

A variety of different topologies are employed to manage thetransmission of data on an electrical data bus. Known network topologiesinclude: 1) broadcast, such as utilized on a data bus; 2) point-to-pointelectrical and optical repeater lines, such as seen with the ringconfiguration; 3) and logical star, where all data is transmitted to andfrom a central location for retransmission to an intended recipient.

One particular problem with these known network topologies is that theycannot be easily integrated with one another. In essence, once aparticular topology and protocol are chosen for managing thetransmission and receipt of data on a given network, that topology andprotocol must always be used by the network. This lack of adaptabilityis a particular detrimental problem when new or more useful topologiesare developed but cannot be applied to existing data transmissionnetworks which are locked into archaic, less efficient topologies.

Recent advances in data transmission technology have been directed toincreasing the bandwidth or data capacity of the network, i.e.,increasing the amount of data that can be transmitted by the network.

Physics imposes data rates limits on standard optical networks whichencode data in pulses of laser light and dispatch them through wiresmade of glass. Very fast data rates require very short pulses, whichtend to smear into one another as they travel through kilometers offiber. Electronic devices staggered along the path can clean up thesignal, but they are expensive and can work on at most 50 billion bitsper second using current technology.

To increase the data capacity, researchers have transmitted many signalssimultaneously over a single fiber by encoding them in differentwavelengths or channels. Transmission networks that use this technique,known as wavelength division multiplexing (WDM), have boosted thecapacity of existing fiber twenty fold or more.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide anoptical transport system which overcomes the disadvantages of the priorart and takes advantage of the recent advances in wavelength divisionmultiplexing.

Accordingly, it is another object of the present invention to provide anovel, bi-directional, redundant optical transport system configured toprovide a non-blocking, bidirectional, multi-channel, protocolindependent optical transport system for the simultaneous transmissionof multiple optical signals.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an opticaltransport system using an unique optical amplification arrangementwhereby through-fiber between nodes of the system are doped with a rareearth, such as, for example, erbium to provide sufficient amplificationto compensate for coupler splitting losses, splice and connector losses.

One particularly advantageous feature of the present invention is thatit provides an advanced bus structure which readily supports thebandwidth and channel capacity requirements of present and furtheravionics data buses while providing physical redundancy to enhancenetwork survivability.

Another particular advantageous feature of the present invention is thatit provides the ability to simultaneously transmit a plurality ofinformation as analog, digital and discrete signals over a singlewavelength using a single fiber. In this regard, the invention iscapable of the simultaneous, non-interfering transmission over multipletopologies of multiple co-existing protocols each running at independentdata rates. Additionally, it features the simultaneous, non-interferingtransmission over multiple co-existing topologies of analog, digital anddiscrete signals.

The present invention relates to an optical transport system thatpermits one, two or a plurality of different network topologies to berespectively connected by one, two or a plurality of fiber optictransmission lines that each transmit light bi-directionally over eachof the one, two or plurality of fiber optic lines. Each fiber optictransmission line is capable of carrying one, two or a plurality ofwavelengths and each wavelength can contain one, two or a plurality ofanalog, digital and discrete signals that are encoded using one, two ora plurality of encoding techniques.

The heart of the present invention is an ingenuous arrangement ofpassive fiber optic couplers, which when combined with wavelengthdivision multiplexing (WDM) selectively route optical signals in and outof the system at each node thereof as discloses by Applicants co-pendingU.S. patent application entitled An Optical Interface Device, Ser. No.08/831,375, filed Apr. 1, 1997, (the entire disclosure of which isherein incorporated by reference for all purposes). This opticalinterface device, also sometime referred to as an optical bus interfacemodule (OBIM), is capable of inserting, extracting and transmittinglight bi-directionally over one, two or a plurality of fiber optictransmission lines carrying one, two or a plurality of wavelengths overeach fiber optic transmission line and each wavelength contains one, twoor a plurality of analog, digital or discrete signals that are encodedusing one, two or a plurality of encoding techniques.

These and other objects, advantages and features of the presentinvention are achieved, according to one embodiment of the presentinvention by a redundant, optical transport system which is configuredto provide a non-blocking, bi-directional, multi-channel, protocolindependent optical transport system for the simultaneous transfer ofmultiple optical signals between a plurality data terminal equipment.The optical transport system includes a light transmission line fortransmitting light bi-directionally and a plurality of nodes, connectedlinearly by the light transmission line for receiving, extracting andpassing signal light. Each node comprises: data terminal equipment forissuing and receiving electrical signals; an electro-optical interfacedevice, associated the data terminal equipment, for convertingelectrical signals issued by the associated data terminal to lightsignals for insertion onto the light transmission light and forconverting signal light, extracted from the light transmission line intoelectrical signals to be received by the associated data terminal; atranslation logic device connected between the optical interface deviceand the data terminal equipment, if required, for performing requiredprotocol translation for the data terminal equipment and an opticalinterface device, connected to the electro-optical interface device andthe light transmission line, for extracting light signals from the lighttransmission line to be converted into electrical signal by theelectro-optical interface device for receipt by the data terminalequipment, for inserting, onto the light transmission line, signal lightreceived from the electro-optical interface device and for passingsignal light bi-directionally on the light transmission line.

The transport system further includes a pumping arrangement, forexample, an optical pump source, for inserting excitation light onto thelight transmission line; an optical amplifier connector fiber connectingthe each of the optical interface devices linearly to one another,wherein the optical amplifier connector fiber is doped with a materialwhich is excited by the excitation light and which emits light having asame wavelength as the light signals when radiated with light signalstransmitted bi-directionally by the at least one fiber optic line.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a block diagram which schematically illustrates the opticaltransport system of the present invention;

FIG. 1B is a pictorial representation of the elements comprising theoptical transport system of FIG. 1A;

FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate arrangements for providing opticalamplification within the optical transport system of the presentinvention;

FIG. 4A illustrates the configuration of an E/O Interface card in usewith yet another embodiment of the optical transport system of thepresent invention wherein the optical signal is inserted, extracted andpassed on two separated but redundant fiber optic lines;

FIG. 4B, illustrates an EOIC configuration for Mil-Std 1553 avionicselement;

FIG. 4C illustrates an EOIC 117 for ARINC 429 avionic element;

FIG. 4D illustrates a typical, known ARINC network configuration;

FIG. 4E illustrates an optical arrangement wherein different opticalwavelengths are assigned for each equivalent electrical transmissionpath;

FIG. 4F, illustrates an optical arrangement which relies on TimeDivision Multiplexing (TDM) techniques to eliminate the plethora ofoptical wavelengths required by the arrangement of FIG. 4E;

FIG. 4G illustrates the structure for an EOIC adapted to support video;

FIG. 4H illustrates an arrangement wherein different wavelengths areassigned to different nodes to provide a topology equivalent to anon-blocking Star configuration using MUX/DEMUXes;

FIG. 4I illustrates an arrangement where, by using dichroic couplers,the resulting topology for these nodes is that of a Point-to-PointRepeatered Link;

FIG. 5 illustrated an optimum bus interface topology with the specificcoupler ratios 80/20 on-line and 50/50 off-line;

FIG. 6 is a plot showing the optimum in-line coupling c_(opt) vs n,where n is the number of nodes;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a small rugged enclosurecomplete with moisture seals for ensures a benign mechanical environmentfor OBIM's; and

FIG. 8 illustrates component placement for a Mil_Std 1553 type card.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)

The Optical Transport System—General Description

Referring to FIG. 1A, a block diagram of a first embodiment of anoptical transport system in accordance with the present invention,generally indicated at 111, is illustrated for extracting, inserting andpassing light bi-directionally on a light transmission line, generallyindicated at 113, which comprises at least one fiber optical fiber. Thesystem 111 is designed to permit communication between differentelectrical devices having differing communication protocols andrequirements. The optical transport system 111 preferably forms a brokenring, as shown in FIG. 1A, to prevent the recirculation of light.

The system 111 comprises a plurality of optical bus interface modules(OBIM's) or optical interface devices 115, as discloses by Applicantsco-pending U.S. patent application entitled An Optical Interface Device,Ser. No. 08/831,375, filed Apr. 1, 1997, (the entire disclosure of whichis herein incorporated by reference for all purposes). Each OBIM 115 isan arrangement of passive fiber optic couplers, as will be more fullyexplained with particular reference to FIG. 4A, which wavelengthselectively route optical signals in and out of the network at eachnode, generally indicated at A.

The primary purpose of the OBIM's 115 is to facilitate bi-directionaldata transmission and reception over fiber light transmission line 113comprising one, two or a plurality of fiber optic lines as will be morefully described hereinafter. The configuration achieving this functionis shown in FIG. 4A. The OBIM's 115 are interconnected, linearly, by thetransmission line 113 and constitute a totally optical interface to thesystem 111.

The optical signals that are fed in or out of the systems 111 are thenprocessed within the node A through the use of an electro-opticalinterface card (EOIC) 117 which includes wavelength selective filters,photoreceivers and a laser transmitter or light emitting diodephoto-transmitter as will be more fully described hereinafter.

Each EOIC 117 is a device which performs an impedance match between thelight and electrical domains. The input and the output of each of theEOIC's 117 are connected to a translation logic card (TLC) 119 whichperforms the required protocol translation for the data terminalequipment (DTE) 121, which comprises, for example, a computer, video ortelephone device, which each have, for example, different protocolrequirements. However, a TLC 119 is not required and the EOIC 117 caninterface directly with the memory of each of the DTE 121. Thiseliminates approximately two thirds of the interface electronicspresently employed for the purpose of transmitting information from oneDTE to other DTE's.

Each EOIC 117 is provided for converting the optical signals transportedover the transmission line 113 to electrical signals which will beeventually read by the associated DTE 121 and for converting theelectrical signals issued by the associated DTE 121 to optical signalsfor transmission over the optical transmission line 113.

The EOIC 117, in addition to performing the electrical-to-optical andoptical-to-electrical function, provides the means for signal transferbetween bus elements and the work stations through TLC's 119(intermediate interface cards). A TLC is a device which performsprotocol impedance matching between the DTE's and the EOIC's. Theprotocol can be either the preferred direct digital memory interface,the direct analog sensor interface or a legacy protocol. The TLC 119 iscapable of receiving or transmitting and converting one or moreprotocols. For example, two such cards provide standardized avoionciscommunication protocols for ARINC 429 and Mil_Std 1553. Two PC basedworkstations (DTE's 121) provide data display capability using amulti-window display format for the simultaneous viewing of multiplesignals and man-machine interface.

The optical transport system 111 incorporates optical amplificationwhich is powered using a laser pump 123, emitting light having awavelength of about 980 nm as will be more fully described withparticular reference to FIG. 2.

The transmission line 113 of the general configuration of the opticaltransport system 111 illustrated by FIG. 1A, comprises two opticalfibers 113′, 113″ (one serving as a redundant fiber) laid out in a“broken ring” to avoid recirculation of the optical signals. The throughfibers at 114 (as best seen in FIG. 4f) between each node A are a fewmeters long and doped with a rare earth, such as, for example, erbium toprovide amplification to compensate for all optical losses encounteredby an optical signal passing through an OBIM 115 as will be explainedhereinbelow. Optical amplification in the erbium doped through fibers isobtained by a “pump” signal provided by laser pump 123 transmittedthrough the entire system 111.

FIG. 1B is a pictoral representation of the optical transport system 111of the present invention illustrated by FIG. 1A.

Arrangement For Pumping The Optical Transport System

Referring to FIG. 2, a first embodiment of the arrangement for opticallypumping the system 111 is shown at 19. For the sake of simplicity, theOBIM at 11 is shown configured for use with a single fiber optic line13.

The arrangement 19 comprises a pump source 21 for inserting excitationlight (about 980 nm) onto the transmission line 113 which as notedabove, comprises a single fiber optic line 113, however, the presentinvention is not limited to a single line 13 and envisions use with twoor more fiber optic lines as will be more fully discussed hereinafter.

An optical amplifier 27 for amplifying signal light is also providedwhich comprises, for example, a connector fiber optic line having alength 1, for connecting the OBIM 11 with other devices as well asbetween OBIM's of the system 111. The connector fiber optic line of theoptical amplifier 27 is doped with a material that is excited by theexcitation light and that emits light having a same wavelength as thelight signals when radiated with light signals.

Erbium is a suitable material for doping the fiber optic line of theoptical amplifier 27 because 980 nm excitation light excites erbiumatoms in the fiber such that when the excited erbium atoms collapse,1550 nm light (the same wavelength as the signal light) is emitted.Therefore, when a photon of 1550 nm signal light collides with theexcited erbium atoms, one photon of 1550 nm signal light becomes twophotons of 1550 nm signal light.

According to the preferred embodiment of FIG. 2, the pump source 21 is apump laser which emits excitation light having a wavelength of about 980nm. As noted above, the signal light has a wavelength of about 1550 nm.The length 1 of the optical amplifier connector fiber is set as afunction of the amount of amplification required and in the preferredembodiment of FIG. 2, the length of the connector fiber of the opticalamplifier 27 is about two meters.

The connector fiber of the optical amplifier 27 is used to connect theOBIM 11 to an other device, including, but not limited to another OBIM11 and can be provided both prior to and subsequent to the OBIM 11.Further, the connector fiber of the optical amplifier 27 can also beconnected to at least one of the extraction port 29 or the insertionport 31 of the OBIM 11.

Referring to FIG. 3, a further embodiment of the arrangement 19 foroptically pumping an OBIM 11 is illustrated wherein each OBIM 11 isprovided with a pump source 21 for emitting excitation light. A coupler33, such as, for example, a wave division multiplexer is provided forinserting the excitation light from the pump source 21 onto the at leastone fiber optic line 13 to one side of the pair of fiber optic-line,optical couplers 17, 17′ of the OBIM 11.

An optical amplifier 27 for amplifying signal light is also provided forreceiving excitation light from the pump source 21 as well as signallight transmitted in both directions A or B on the at least one fiberoptic line 13. As described above, the optical amplifier 27 comprises,for example, a connector fiber optic line having a length 1, forconnecting the OBIM 11 with other devices. The connector fiber opticline of the optical amplifier 27 is doped with a material, such as, forexample, erbium, that is excited by the excitation light and that emitslight having a same wavelength as the light signals when radiated withlight signals.

According to the preferred embodiment of FIG. 3, the pump source 21 is apump laser which emits excitation light having a wavelength of about 980nm. As noted above, the signal light has a wavelength of about 1550 nm.The length 1 of the optical amplifier connector fiber is set as afunction of the amount of amplification required and in the preferredembodiment of FIG. 3, the length of the connector fiber of the opticalamplifier 27 is about two meters.

The connector fiber of the optical amplifier 27 is used to connect theOBIM 11 to another device, including, but not limited to another OBIM 11and can be provided both prior to and subsequent to the OBIM 11.Further, the connector fiber of the optical amplifier can also beconnected to at least one of the extraction port 29 or the insertionport 31 of the OBIM.

In lieu of the OBIM 11 of FIG. 2, it is understood that other OBIMconfigurations, as disclosed by Applicants' co-pending application notedabove, wherein the at least one fiber optic line 13 comprises two ormore fiber optic lines, are envisioned for use with present invention.

In order to provide redundancy the light transmission line 113 of theoptical transport system 111 of the present invention preferablycomprises a pair of fiber optic lines as best seen in FIG. 4A.Therefore, if one of the fiber optic lines is broken, the remainingfiber optic line will transmit the signal light.

DETAILED DISCLOSURE OF THE STRUCTURE

Referring to FIG. 4A, a preferred arrangement of an OBIM 115 isillustrated for the insertion and removal of light from the transmissionline 113, which in this case, comprises a pair of fiber optic lines113′, 113″, to implement the desired fail-safe operation, (if one linefails, the other line is available to provide the signal light). TheOBIM 115 of FIG. 4A comprises first and second 50/50 couplers 125, 125′,one provided for each of the pair of fiber optic lines 113′, 113″. The50/50 couplers 125, 125′ are provided for receiving light from the EOIC117 to be inserted onto one of the fiber optic lines 113′, 113″ or forproviding signal light extracted from the lines 113′, 113″ to the EOIC117.

The OBIM 115 also comprises a pair of 80/20 fiber optic-line, opticalcouplers 126, 126″, each coupled directly to one of the fiber opticlines 113′, 113″ and to one of the pair of 50/50 optical couplers 125,125″, for respectively passing light on the associated fiber optic line113′ or 113″, for receiving light for the associated 50/50 opticalcoupler 125 or 125′ to be inserted onto the associated fiber optic line113′ or 113″ and for transmitting said received light in oppositedirections on the one associated fiber optic line 113′ or 113″, and forextracting light from opposite directions on the one associated fiberoptic line 113′ or 113″ and transmitting said extracted light to theassociated 50/50 optical coupler 125 or 125′. An additional 50/50optical coupler 127 is included for receiving light outputted by theEOIC 117 and providing the received light to the pair of 50/50 opticalcouplers 125, 125′ for insertion bi-directionally on both of the fiberoptic lines 113′ and 113″.

To understand the optical routing achieved by OBIM 115, the followingdiscussion is provided. A signal exiting from the upper left fiber(labeled fiber 113′) traveling toward 80/20 coupler 126 is split suchthat 80% of the signal is passed on fiber 113′ to the next node and theremaining 20% is directed toward the EOIC 117. The remaining 20% oflight, by action of the associated 50/50 coupler 125 is split equallyand routed towards optical filter/receiver combination 129, 131. In asimilar fashion, tracing the signal from the EOIC 117, light is splitequally by 50/50 coupler 127 and provided to both 50/50 couplers 125,125′ when it is split equally and routed to each bus fiber 113′, 113″for insertion thereon in opposite directions simultaneously one each ofthe fibers 113′, 113″.

Because two parallel optical paths now exist, optical signals for eachwill be slightly delayed with respect to each other as a function ofpath length difference between respective transmitting and receivingnodes. For high frequency operation, these signals must be treatedindependently, for example, by employing two optical receivers, onededicated to each path.

Generic EOIC Structure

Located between the OBIM and the DTE 121, the EOIC 117 enablescommunication between like DTE's 121 located at different nodes of thesystem 111. As shown in FIG. 4A, the EOIC 117 comprises a pair ofoptical filters 129, 129′ for respective receiving light signalsextracted from the pair of fiber optic lines 113′, 113″. These opticalfilter, 129, 129′, which have, for example, a 4 nm passband, precedeoptical receivers 131, 131′, respectively, and pass only the designatedwavelength of the corresponding network element (DTE 121 not shown inFIG. 4A) and reject all others. Optical receivers 131, 131′ convert thereceived optical signals into electrical signals. Switch 133 selects oneof the electrical outputs from receivers 131, 131′, which is thenprovide to the TLC 119 for processing in order to be compatible withassociated DTE 121 as will be more fully explained hereinbelow.Electrical outputs from the DTE 121 are converted to optical signals bythe EOIC 117 which are inserted onto the fiber optic lines 113′, 113″using the optical amplifier 135.

In a fully operational mode of the system 111, the output of eitherreceiver 131, 131′ is valid and the choice as to which to use isarbitrary. However, in the event of a fiber break, the alternativereceiver is automatically selected. Each receiver 131, 131′ detects andmeasures the incident input signal and outputs a corresponding digitalsignal indicating whether or not a minimum input optical power thresholdis exceeded. Control logic then monitors these signals and selects theappropriate receiver.

Instead of continuous data transmission, the system 111, particularlywhen applied to avionics data bus requires, deals with burstytransmission (high density, clusters or packets of data). Most opticalreceivers designed for digital transmission incorporate automatic gaincontrol for extending optical input dynamic range. These AGC loops havesettling times in excess of many bit periods thereby causing loss ofleading bits in a data packet. For continuous data this is generally nota problem, but in discontinuous data transmission, the situation isunacceptable. To get around this problem, the receivers 131, 131′operating on the principle of edge detection, although a penalty isincurred in terms of loss of optical sensitivity.

The details of the optical and electro-optical system for implementingsimultaneous multi-network operation using multiple optical carriersover a single fiber implementation are also shown in FIG. 4A. Thetechnical approach exploits the two low attenuation windows of stepindex single mode optical fiber, 1310 nm and 1550 nm. By means of narrowbandwidth optical sources, temperature controlled distributed feedbacklasers, and complementary narrow band optical filters, multipleinterfering optical carriers are realized in the 1550 nm operating band.

Therefore, it is possible to provide four channels within the 1550 nmoperating band which each have center wavelengths at, for example, 1536nm, 1543 nm, 1550 nm, and 1557 nm, each channel being capable ofcarrying different signal light imparting distinct information. Opticalcarrier encoding techniques supported by this architecture includesignal formats such as Pulse Code Modulation (PCM), intensity modulation(IM) coherent or incoherent, amplitude, phase and frequency modulation.

Specific EOIC Structure of Mil_Std 1553

In addition to optical filtering and E/O and O/E conversion, the EOIC117 is adapted to provide the required data encoding functions toconvert the ARINC 429 and Mil_Std 1553 three-level codes to two levelcodes. In the electrical domain, these signals are encoded as tri-levelsignals and then converted to bi-level signaling with subsequentbandwidth increase. Although optical intensity modulation (IM) supportsmulti-level encoding, the preponderance of commercial optical receiversare designed for bi-level operation.

The encoding and decoding function is performed by the EOIC 117 whichincludes an on-board gate array containing conversion circuitry for bothdata types. In the present embodiment of the system 111, four data typestransit the optical transport system 111: three digital and one FMvideo.

As shown in FIG. 4B, an EOIC configuration for Mil_Std 1553 avionicselement is shown. The EOIC 117 contains a number of hardware componentsfor the transmission and reception of bus 113 signals, data encoding,traffic control and optical transmission and reception as discussedbelow.

Mil_Std 1553 line receiver 135 converts the bi-polar bus signal todigital logic level and line driver 135′ converts logic level signals tobi-polar signals levels conforming to Mil_Std 1553 specifications.

Encoding optical transmission of the MIL-1553 bus messages requiresconverting the three state electrical signal to a two state opticalsignal which is accomplished by FPGA 137. MIL-1553 bus transmissionmedium is a twisted pair wire. Signal states present on the wire includea NULL state signifying inactivity, and two active states for thetransmission of 1's and 0's. Thus, voltage across the two wire has threepossible states. For optical transmission of the signal, it must beencoded in a waveform with only two states. Another requirement of thecoding is that it must have zero DC content for any combination of syncpatterns, ones and zeros. The encoding concept is to frequency encodethe three states by assigning one frequency to denote the logical ONE,another frequency to denote a logical ZERO and a third frequency (0 Hz)to denote no transmission.

The laser drive and temperature control 139 performs two functions: 1)laser modulation and 2) laser temperature control. The laser driverconverts the digital input signals from the FPGA 137 to current pulsesused to modulate the laser. The resultant optical signal intensitywaveform is representative of the digital input signal. The purpose ofthe laser temperature control is to maintain the laser at a constanttemperature. DFB laser wavelength dependence is on the order of 0.1nm/C. Tuning over a range of a few nanometers can be attained by varyingthe laser temperature. By controlling the laser temperature, the laseremission wavelength is adjusted to match the optical filter passband.

As noted in the general discussion of the EOIC structure, the opticalreceivers 131, 131′ convert the received optical signal to an electricalsignal. This receiver is a digital type and its output is PECL digitalsignal levels that are converted to CMOS levels using a comparator.

As shown in FIG. 4B, two optical receivers 131, 131′ are employed, andas previously noted, due to invariable path length variation, some delayis experienced between the arrival of one signal with respect to theother. The delay precludes combining these signals either electricallyor optically because of the resulting overlap that will eventually causedecoding errors. This situation is tolerable for low speed signalingwhere the relative delay is a small percentage of the bit period.However, at high data rates, i.e., those exceeding tens of hundreds ofmegahertz, nano-second delays become a significant percentage of the bitperiod. For this reason, the output of only one receiver 131, 131′ isused.

Power module 139 generates, regulates and filters all secondary voltagesderived from the prime avionics power of +28 VDC.

The protocol as defined by MIL_STD 1553 defines in part certain timingrequirements for command and data transfer operations between nodesidentified as either Bus Controllers (BC's) or Remote Terminals (RT's).Of particular importance in the design of the optical equivalent of theelectrical bus is the preservation of intermessage gaps and theintroduction of minimal transmission delay between the fiber opticelements and the electrical bus.

Specific EOIC Structure For ARINC 429

Referring to FIG. 4C, an EOIC 117 for ARINC 429 avionic element isillustrated, wherein the functions and the components of the EOIC 117are similar to the Mil_Std 1553 configuration discussed above withreference to FIG. 4B. Only those function and components that differform the Mil_Std 1553 configuration will be discussed.

ARINC line receiver 141 converts the tri-state bus signal to CMOScompatible digital signals. The line driver 143 converts CMOS logiclevel signals to tri-state bus signal levels conforming to ARINC 429specifications.

FPGA 137, provided for encoding optical transmission of the ARINC 429bus message is conceptually identical to the Mil_Std 1553 encodingscheme. Frequency assignment to represent the bits and periods of notransmissions is similarly assigned.

Since ARINC 429 defines an air transport industry standard for thetransfer of the digital data between avionics elements, it specifies thebasic system configuration and communication protocols. Any avionicselement having information to transmit, will do so form a designatedoutput port over a single twisted and shielded wire pair to all otherelements that have a need for such information. The information flow isuni-directional. The typical ARINC system consists of a controller,which oversees the gathering and time multiplexing of data in accordancewith the protocol, a line driver capable of driving the twisted wirepair, and one or more receivers which process the received datatransmitted over the twisted wire pair.

To determine the required functionality of a fiber optic implementation,the following discussion is provided with particular reference to atypical, known ARINC network configuration as shown in FIG. 4D. TheARINC network configuration comprises ARINC avionics element 145 havinga transmitter section 145a and a receiver section 145b which arerespectively connected to each of the inputs 147a and each of theoutputs 147b of associated sensors at 147.

The operational features of the illustrated ARINC configuration includecommunications protocol between avionics element 145 and sensors 147 aswell as the physical media required to support the protocol.

ARINC protocol defines that when one of the sensor 147 needs to senddata, (called a Link Data Unit (LDU)), to the avionics element 145, thesensor 147 will issue a Request To Send (RTS) to the avionics element145. The avionics element 145 responds with a Clear To Send (CTS) anddata transfer commences. This method of data exchange exemplifies datatransfer using an uni-directional bus 149 shared by multiple elementsfor data transfer initiation and dedicated buses 151 for data transferfrom sensors 147 to the avionics element 145.

The protocol therefore relies upon two uni-directional busses to queryand/or transmit dat to another element and receive data from suchelement. The timing associated with such transfers is sequential. Arequest is initiated, a response transmitted followed by datatransmission.

Sometimes, upon system power-up or status check, an avionics element mayrequest sensor confirmation that results in parallel transmissions frommultiple sensors. This is a special instance, a condition to berecognized when designing the optical implementation. Having identifiedthe basic ARINC communication protocol and system configuration, theoptical solution that preserves bidirectional functionality andsimultaneous transmissions over a single fiber transmission medium willnow be discussed with particular reference to FIG. 4E.

Referring to FIG. 4E, an optical arrangement is illustrated whereindifferent optical wavelengths are assigned for each equivalentelectrical transmission path i.e., all electrical buses are replacedwith optical buses of different wavelengths. This approach is adequateif there are not a lot of sensors.

The second approach, as illustrated by FIG. 4F, relies on Time DivisionMultiplexing (TDM) techniques to eliminate the plethora of opticalwavelengths required by the arrangement of FIG. 4E. For configurationsrequiring many sensors, elimination of the individual wavelengthchannels for each sensor is desired.

The key to eliminating the numerous optical wavelengths assigned to eachremote terminal data return path is through time division multiplexingas shown in FIG. 4F. Normal operation prohibits multiple remoteterminals (RT's) from simultaneous transmission, but as noted above, incertain circumstances such simultaneous transmissions can occur.

To fully satisfy these operating modes, a transmission protocol similarto Ethernet is adopted which specifies a procedure to resolvetransmission conflict. Provision for temporary storage of data isrequired until access to the bus is obtained and transmission rates mustbe increased to equal the data rate of all RT's transmittingsimultaneously.

Video EOIC Structure

Referring to FIG. 4G, the structure for an EOIC 115 adapted to supportvideo is illustrated. At the video source, a commercial video unit 153up-converts the RS-170 baseband to an FM modulated signal which isreceived by optical receiver 155 so that the FM signal modulates EOICcard laser 139 for input to the OBIM 115 and insertion onto thetransmission line 113.

A received optical signal is converted to an electrical signal byoptical receiver 131 and the resulting signal provide to video linedriver 157, the output of which drives the comparator demodulator 159.The recovered baseband signal serves as input of a frame grabber (notshown) located in the main workstation PC (not shown).

Operational Modes of the Optical Transport System

It is clear from FIG. 1A, that when all the OBIM's 115 operate at thesame wavelength, the system 111 functions as a Bus in the BroadcastMode. Referring to FIG. 4H, if different wavelengths are assigned todifferent nodes, although some nodes can transmit and receive multiplewavelengths, the topology is equivalent to a non-blocking Starconfiguration using MUS/DEMUXes with as many as 128 wavelengthsemploying current technology wherein the maximum number of wavelengthsis determined by the allowable cross-talk between channels, the laserline width, the optical amplifier pass band and the informationbandwidth.

The present invention is not limited to fixed wavelengths. In fact, thepresent invention operates as a non-blocking logical switch if all nodeshave their transmitters and receivers tunable. The operation is asfollows: if a node want to transmit to a set of nodes on a specificwavelength and the transmitting node tunes its laser to that wavelength,the receiving nodes tune their receivers to the same wavelength. Tunablefilters, whether electro-optical, acouto-optical or opto-mechanical canbe inserted in the receivers in lieu of fixed filters in order to varythe wavelength assignment on a packet-to-packet basis as well as toprovide dynamic routing.

If some OBIM's 115 are altered to be configured as in FIG. 4I by usingdichroic (also known as WDM) couplers 116 and the corresponding nodesare assigned the same wavelength (in this example 1310 nm), theresulting topology for these nodes is that of a Point-to-PointRepeatered Link. This is equivalent to a ring topology, and although thering is broken, all nodes communicate with each other because of thebi-directionality of the OBIM's 115. In this example, the repeater linksuse an ATM (asynchronous transfer node) protocol.

Optimum System Topology

The optimum bus interface topology is illustrated in FIG. 5 with thespecific coupler ratios 80/20 on-line and 50/50 off-line. As an example,the received signal at node n from node 1 is:(0.5)(0.5)(0.2)[(0 2)(0.5)](0.8)^(n-2)=0.00125(0.8)^(n-2)=−23 dB

Optimum coupling is a function of the number of nodes. Calling theon-line coupling ratio c and the off-line coupling ratio k were c and kcorresponding to the cross states and (1−c), (1−k) are the bar states,the bus is assigned arbitrary coupling c and k. Deriving the optimumcoupling ratios by calculating the received signals at both extremenodes as follows:

Received signal at node n from node 1: Bus 1 or Bus 2:k³(1−c)(1−c)(c)^(n-2)=k³(1−c)²(c)^(n-2) where n=number of nodes.

To ensure same signal strength at both nodes,

-   -   k=1−k k=50%        Thus, the received signal at either node receiver contributed by        either bus is: S=0.125(c)²(1−c)^(n-2). The optimum coupling as a        function of nodes is obtained by setting ds/dc=0 which yields        c=2/n.

Referring to FIG. 6, a plot is shown of the optimum in-line couplingc_(opt) vs n, where n is the number of nodes. For the minimum number oftwo nodes, we find the optimum coupling ratio is 1, indicating all thelight from node 1 transmitter is received at node 2 receiver. Since themaximum number of nodes the system 111 can sustain without opticalamplifiers is approximately n less than or equal to 10, the best ratiois 80%, or alternatively, 20% is tapped from the bus signal at eachnode.

As noted above, the OBIM 115 provides the optical interface between theavionics cable plant and the EOIC 117. A small rugged enclosure completewith moisture seals ensures a benign mechanical environment for thecouplers, splices, and fiber pigtails and also provides an area forexcess fiber storage and restraint to minimize fiber vibration and hencefracture and breakage. The proposed package shown in FIG. 7 is made of6661T6 aluminum with machined grooves for capturing the couplers andfiber splices and a cross member to provide position stability. An “O”ring groove provides a vapor seal in conjunction with the aluminum coversecured by 10 machining screws. The enclosure body measure 4.5 inches inlength by 2.5 inches wide and 1.0 inches high including the 0.10 inchthickness cover. Anodizing of the enclosure increases corrosionresistance.

FIG. 8 illustrates component placement for a Mil_Std 1553 type card. Thecard size is approximately 6 inches by 4 inches and shows the locationof all components identified with respect to the block diagram discussedabove. Heat sinks are provided to dissipate heat generated by thethermoelectric devices bonded to the DFB lasers. Ample area for fiberpigtails avoid excess minimum bend radius requirements and tie downareas for the optical components allocated.

1. A bi-directional, redundant, optical transport system configured toprovide a non-blocking, bi directional, multi-channel, protocolindependent optical transport system for the simultaneous transfer ofdigital, analog, and discrete data between a plurality data terminalequipment, the optical transport system comprising: light transmissionline for transmitting light bi-directionally; a plurality of nodes,connected in series by the light transmission line for receiving,extracting and passing signal light, each node comprising: data terminalequipment for issuing and receiving electrical signals; anelectro-optical interface device, associated the data terminalequipment, for converting electrical signals issued by the associateddata terminal to it signal light for insertion onto the lighttransmission light and for converting signal light, extracted from thelight transmission line into electrical signals to be received by theassociated data terminal; a translation logic device connected betweenthe electrical optical interface device and the data terminal equipment,for performing required protocol translation for the data terminalequipment an optical interface device, connected to the electro-opticalinterface device and the light transmission line, for extracting signallight from the light transmission line to be converted into electricalsignals by the electro-optical interface device for receipt by the dataterminal equipment, for inserting, onto the light transmission line,signal light received from the electro-optical interface device and forpassing signal light bi-directionally on the light transmission line; apump source for inserting excitation light onto the light transmissionline; an optical amplifier connector fiber connecting the each of theoptical interface devices serially to one another, wherein the opticalamplifier connector fiber is doped with a material which is excited bythe excitation light and which emits light having a same wavelength asthe light signals when radiated with light signals transmittedbi-directionally by the at least one fiber optic line.
 2. An opticaltransport system according to claim 1, wherein the data terminalequipment comprises one of a computer, video or telephone device, havingdifferent protocol requirements.
 3. An optical transport systemaccording to claim 1, wherein the pump source is a pump laser whichemits excitation light.
 4. An optical transport system according toclaim 3, wherein the excitation light emitted by the pump laser has awavelength of about 980 nm.
 5. An optical transport system according toclaim 4, wherein the signal light has a wavelength of about 1550 nm. 6.An optical transport system according to claim 5, wherein the connectorfiber is doped with erbium.
 7. An optical transport system according toclaim 6, wherein the length of the optical amplifier connector fiber isset as a function of the amount of amplification required.
 8. An opticaltransport system according to claim 7, wherein the length of the opticalamplifier connector fiber is about two meters.
 9. An optical transportsystem according to claim 1, wherein the optical interface devicecomprising: a first optical coupler for receiving signal light to beinserted onto or extracted from the light transmission line; and a fiberoptic-line, optical coupler, coupled to the light transmission line andto the first optical coupler, for passing light on the lighttransmission line, for receiving light from the first optical coupler tobe inserted onto the light transmission line and transmitting saidreceived light in opposite directions on the light transmission line,and for extracting light from opposite directions on the lighttransmission line and transmitting said extracted light to the firstoptical coupler.
 10. An optical transport system according to claim 9wherein the first optical coupler is a four port, bi-directional opticalcoupler.
 11. An optical transport system according to claim 10, whereinthe first optical coupler has: first and second ports for receivinglight to be inserted onto the light transmission line and fortransmitting light extracted from the light transmission line, and thirdand fourth ports each respectively connected to the fiber optic-line,optical coupler; wherein light received by at least one of the first andsecond ports is split by the first optical coupler and transmitted byboth the third and fourth ports to the light transmission line inopposite directions by the fiber optic-line, optical coupler; andwherein light extracted from the light transmission line by the fiberoptic-line, optical coupler and received by at least one of the thirdand fourth ports is split by the first optical coupler and transmittedby the both the first and second ports.
 12. An optical transport systemaccording to claim 11, wherein the fiber optic-line, optical coupler isa pair of fiber optic-line, optical couplers comprising first and secondfiber optic-line, optical couplers, the first fiber optic-line, opticalcoupler comprising: a first port for receiving light transmitted in afirst direction on the light transmission line and for transmittinglight received from either the second fiber optic-line, optical couplersor the first optical coupler to the light transmission line in a seconddirection opposite to said first direction; a second port fortransmitting light received from the light transmission line in saidfirst direction by the first port to the second fiber optic-line,optical coupler and for receiving light in said second direction fromthe second fiber optic-line, optical coupler; and a third port fortransmitting light received from the light transmission line by thefirst port in the first direction to the first optical coupler; whereinlight received by the first port of the first fiber optic-line, opticalcoupler is split by the first fiber optic-line, optical coupler andtransmitted by both the second and third ports; and the second fiberoptic-line coupler comprising: a fourth port for receiving lighttransmitted in the second direction on the light transmission line andfor transmitting light received from first optic line optical coupler orthe first optical coupler to the light transmission line in the firstdirection; a fifth port for transmitting light received from the lighttransmission line in second direction by the fourth port to the firstfiber optic-line, optical coupler and for receiving light in the firstdirection from the first fiber optic-line, optical coupler; and a sixthport for transmitting light received from the light transmission line inthe first direction by the fourth port to the first optical coupler;wherein light received by the fourth port to the second fiberoptic-line,optical coupler is split by the second fiber optic-line, optical couplerand transmitted by both the fifth and sixth ports.
 13. An opticaltransport system according to claim 1, wherein the light transmissionline comprises first and second fiber optic lines.
 14. An opticaltransport system according to claim 13, wherein the optical interfacedevice comprises: a first optical coupler for receiving light to beinserted onto or extracted from the first fiber optic line; a pair offirst fiber optic-line, optical couplers, each coupled to the firstfiber optic line and to the first optical coupler, for passing light onthe first fiber optic line, for receiving light from the first opticalcoupler to be inserted onto the first fiber optic line and transmittingsaid received light in opposite directions on the first fiber opticline, and for extracting light from opposite directions on the firstfiber optic line and transmitting said extracted light to the firstoptical coupler; a second optical coupler for receiving light to beinserted onto or extracted from the second fiber optic line; and a pairof second fiber optic-line, optical couplers, each coupled to the secondfiber optic line and to the second optical coupler, for passing light onthe second fiber optic line, for receiving light from the second opticalcoupler to be inserted onto the second fiber optic line and transmittingsaid received signal in opposite directions on the second fiber opticline, and for extracting light from opposite directions on the secondfiber optic line and transmitting said extracted light to the secondoptical coupler.
 15. An optical transport system according to claim 14,wherein the first and second optical couplers are each a four port,bidirectional optical coupler.
 16. An optical transport system accordingto claim 15, wherein the first optical coupler has: first and secondports for receiving light to be inserted onto the first fiber optic lineand for transmitting light extracted from the first fiber optic line,and third and fourth ports each respectively connected to one of thepair of first fiber optic-line, optical couplers; wherein light receivedby at least one of the first and second ports is split by the firstoptical coupler and transmitted by both the third and fourth ports inopposite directions on the first fiber optic line by the pair of firstoptic line optical couplers; and wherein light extracted from the firstoptic line and received by at least one of the third and fourth ports issplit by the first optical coupler and transmitted by the both the firstand second ports; and wherein the second optical coupler has: first andsecond ports for receiving light to be inserted onto the second fiberoptic line and for transmitting light extracted from the second fiberoptic line, and third and fourth ports each respectively connected toone of the pair of second fiber optic-line, optical couplers; whereinlight received by at least one of the first and second ports is split bythe second optical coupler and transmitted by both the third and fourthports to the second fiber optic line in opposite directions by the pairof second fiber optic-line, couplers; and wherein light extracted fromthe second fiber optic line and received by at least one of the thirdand fourth ports is split by the second optical coupler and transmittedby the both the first and second ports.
 17. An optical transport systemaccording to claim 16, wherein the pair of first fiber optic-line,optical couplers comprise first and second fiber optic-line, opticalcouplers, the first fiber optic-line, optical coupler comprising: afirst port for receiving light transmitted in a first direction on thefirst fiber optic line and for transmitting light received from eitherthe second fiber optic-line, optical coupler or the first opticalcoupler to the first fiber optic line in a second direction opposite tosaid first direction; a second port for transmitting light received fromthe first fiber optic line in said first direction by the first port tothe second fiber optic-line, optical coupler and for receiving light insaid second direction from the second fiber optic-line, optical coupler;and a third port for transmitting light received from the first fiberoptic line by the first port in the first direction to the first opticalcoupler; wherein light received by the first port of the first fiberoptic-line, optical coupler is split by the first fiber optic-line,optical coupler and transmitted by both the second and third ports; andthe second fiber optic-line, optical coupler comprising: a fourth portfor receiving light transmitted in the second direction on the firstfiber optic line and for transmitting light received from first opticline optical coupler or the first optical coupler to the first fiberoptic line in the first direction; a fifth port for transmitting lightreceived from the first fiber optic line in second direction by thefourth port to the first fiber optic-line, optical coupler and forreceiving light in the first direction from the first fiber optic-line,optical coupler; and a sixth port for transmitting light received fromthe first fiber optic line in the first direction by the fourth port tothe first optical coupler; wherein light received by the fourth port ofthe second fiber optic-line, optical coupler is split by the secondfiber optic-line, optical coupler and transmitted by both the fifth andsixth ports; and wherein the pair of second fiber optic-line, opticalcouplers comprise third and fourth fiber optic-line, optical couplers,the third fiber optic-line, optical coupler comprising: a first port forreceiving light transmitted in a first direction on the second fiberoptic line and for transmitting light received from either the fourthfiber optic-line, optical coupler or the second optical coupler to thesecond fiber optic line in a second direction opposite to said firstdirection; a second port for transmitting light received form the secondfiber optic line in said first direction by the first port to the fourthfiber optic-line, optical coupler and for receiving light in said seconddirection from the fourth fiber optic-line, optical coupler; and a thirdport for transmitting light received from the second fiber optic line bythe first port in the first direction to the second optical coupler;wherein light received by the first port of the third fiber optic-line,optical coupler is split by the third fiber optic-line, optical couplerand transmitted by both the second and third ports; and the fourth fiberoptic-line, optical coupler comprising: a fourth port for receivinglight transmitted in the second direction on the second fiber optic lineand for transmitting light received from third optic line opticalcoupler or the second optical coupler to the second fiber optic line inthe first direction; a fifth port for transmitting light received by thefourth port from the second fiber optic line in second direction to thethird fiber optic-line, optical coupler and for receiving light in thefirst direction from the third fiber optic-line, optical coupler; and asixth port for transmitting light received from the second fiber opticline in the first direction by the fourth port to the second opticalcoupler; wherein light received by the fourth port of the fourth fiberoptic-line, optical coupler is split by the fourth fiber optic-line,optical coupler and transmitted by both the fifth and sixth ports. 18.An optical transport device according to claim 1, wherein the lighttransmission line comprises more than two fiber optical lines.
 19. Abi-directional optical transport system for passing optical signals,comprising: an optical bus for permitting bi-directional transmission ofthe optical signals; an electrical-to-optical converter for convertingelectrical communication signals received from first terminal equipmentinto optical communication signals; a first passive optical interfacedevice coupled to the optical bus for routing the optical communicationsignals received from the electrical-to-optical converter onto theoptical bus in both directions and for permitting the optical signalstraveling along the optical bus to pass by in both directions; a secondpassive optical interface device coupled to the optical bus for routingthe optical communication signals traveling along the bus to anoptical-to-electrical converter and for permitting the optical signalstraveling along the optical bus to pass by in both directions; a fiberoptical amplifier for performing bi-directional amplification of theoptical signals; and the optical-to-electrical converter for receivingthe optical communication signals from the second passive opticalinterface device and for converting the optical communication signalsinto the electrical communication signals, the optical-to-electricalconverter for providing the electrical communication signals to secondterminal equipment.
 20. The optical transport system as set forth inclaim 19, wherein the optical bus comprises a fiber optic line.
 21. Theoptical transport system as set forth in claim 20, further comprising asecond fiber optic line wherein the second fiber optic line is aredundant optical bus.
 22. The optical transport system as set forth inclaim 19, wherein the optical bus is a broken ring.
 23. The opticaltransport system as set forth in claim 19, further comprising a secondoptical-to-electrical converter for converting optical signals, receivedfrom the first passive optical interface device over the optical bus,into electrical signals.
 24. The optical transport system as set forthin claim 23, wherein the second optical-to-electrical converter is forproviding the electrical signals to the first terminal equipment. 25.The optical transport system as set forth in claim 23, wherein thesecond optical-to-electrical converter is for providing the electricalsignals to third terminal equipment.
 26. The optical transport system asset forth in claim 19, further comprising a second electrical-to-opticalconverter for converting second electrical communication signals intosecond optical communication signals and for providing the secondoptical communication signals to the second passive optical interfacedevice, the second passive optical interface device for routing thesecond optical communication signals received from the second electricalto-optical converter onto the optical bus in both directions.
 27. Theoptical transport system as set forth in claim 19, wherein the opticalamplifier comprises a fiber amplifier.
 28. The optical transport systemas set forth in claim 27, wherein the fiber amplifier comprise a rareearth doped fiber amplifier.
 29. The optical transport system as setforth in claim 27, further comprising a pump source for emitting anexcitation light received by the optical amplifier.
 30. The opticaltransport system as set forth in claim 19, wherein the optical amplifieris located along the optical bus.
 31. The optical transport system asset forth in claim 19, wherein the optical amplifier is located betweenthe electrical-to-optical converter and the first passive opticalinterface device.
 32. The optical transport system as set forth in claim19, wherein the optical amplifier is located between the second passiveoptical interface device and the optical-to-electrical converter. 33.The optical transport system as set forth in claim 19, wherein theoptical communication signals and optical signals are wavelengthdivision multiplexed and the second passive optical interface deviceincludes a wavelength division multiplexer.
 34. The optical transportsystem as set forth in claim 19, wherein the first and second passiveoptical interface devices comprise taps for diverting a fraction of theoptical signals and optical communication signals to theoptical-to-electrical converter.
 35. The optical transport system as setforth in claim 19, wherein the second passive optical interface devicecomprises a tunable filter for filtering the optical communicationsignals from the optical signals on the bus.
 36. The optical transportsystem as set forth in claim 19, wherein the second passive opticalinterface device includes a filter for filtering the opticalcommunication signals from the optical signals on the bus.
 37. Theoptical transport system as set forth in claim 19, wherein theelectrical-to-optical converter comprises a directly modulated opticalsource.
 38. The optical transport system as set forth in claim 19,wherein the optical-to-electrical converter generates the electricalsignals in Mil _(—) Std 1553 protocol.
 39. The optical transport systemas set forth in claim 19, wherein the optical-to-electrical convertergenerates the electrical signals in ARINC 429 protocol.
 40. The opticaltransport system as set forth in claim 19, wherein the electricalcommunication signals comprise tri-level electrical signals, the opticalsignals comprise bi-level optical signals, the electrical-to-opticalconverter converts the tri-level electrical signals into bi-leveloptical signals, and the optical-to-electrical converter converts thebi-level optical signals into the tri-level electrical signals.
 41. Theoptical transport system as set forth in claim 19, further comprisingthe first terminal equipment.
 42. The optical transport system as setforth in claim 41, wherein the first terminal equipment comprises videoequipment and the electrical communication signals comprise videosignals.
 43. The optical transport system as set forth in claim 41,wherein the first terminal equipment comprises a sensor and theelectrical communication signals comprise data signals.
 44. The opticaltransport system as set forth in claim 19, wherein the electricalcommunication signals comprise radio frequency signals.
 45. The opticaltransport system as set forth in claim 19, wherein the electricalcommunication signals comprise Ethernet signals.
 46. The opticaltransport system as set forth in claim 19, wherein the electricalcommunication signals comprise digital signals.
 47. The opticaltransport system as set forth in claim 19, wherein the electricalcommunication signals comprise analog signals.
 48. The optical transportsystem as set forth in claim 19, wherein the electrical communicationsignals comprise discrete signals.
 49. The optical transport system asset forth in claim 41, wherein the first terminal equipment comprises aninput device and the electrical communication signals comprise controlsignals.
 50. The optical transport system as set forth in claim 41,wherein the first terminal equipment comprises a workstation.
 51. Theoptical transport system as set forth in claim 41, further comprising atranslation logic device connected between the first terminal equipmentand the first passive optical interface device for performing protocoltranslation.
 52. The optical transport system as set forth in claim 19,further comprising the second terminal equipment.
 53. The opticaltransport system as set forth in claim 19, wherein the optical bus formsa ring topology.
 54. The optical transport system as set forth in claim19, wherein the electrical-to-optical converter comprises a tuneablelaser.
 55. A structure equipped with an optical transport systemenabling optical communications over an optical bus, comprising: thestructure; the optical bus for permitting bi-directional transmission ofthe optical signals, wherein the optical bus is contained at least inpart within the structure; first terminal equipment located within thestructure for generating electrical communication signals; anelectrical-to-optical converter located within the structure forconverting the electrical communication signals received from the firstterminal equipment into optical communication signals; a first passiveoptical interface device located within the structure and coupled to theoptical bus for routing the optical communication signals received fromthe electrical-to-optical converter onto the optical bus in bothdirections and for permitting the optical signals traveling along theoptical bus to pass by in both directions; a fiber optical amplifierlocated within the structure for performing bi-directional amplificationof the optical signals; a second passive optical interface devicelocated within the structure and coupled to the optical bus for routingthe optical communication signals traveling along the bus to anoptical-to-electrical converter and for permitting the optical signalstraveling along the optical bus to pass by in both directions; theoptical-to-electrical converter for receiving the optical communicationsignals from the second passive optical interface device and forconverting the optical communication signals into the electricalcommunication signals; and second terminal equipment located within thestructure for receiving electrical communication signals from theoptical-to-electrical converter.
 56. The structure as set forth in claim55, wherein the structure comprises a vehicle.
 57. The structure as setforth in claim 55, wherein the structure comprises avionics.
 58. Amethod for transporting optical signals over an optical bus betweenfirst and second nodes, comprising: generating electrical communicationsignals at first node; converting the electrical communication signalsinto optical communication signals; passively splitting the opticalcommunication signals into two components; routing the two components ofthe optical communication signals at a first location along the opticalbus and permitting the optical signals already on the optical bustraveling in both directions to be passively routed past the firstlocation, the routing involving directing the two components of theoptical communication signals in opposite directions along the opticalbus and combining the two components with any optical signals already onthe optical bus; at a second location along the optical bus, passivelydiverting at least some of the optical signals on the bus traveling inboth directions toward a second node, wherein the diverting includespermitting the optical signals traveling in both directions to bepassively routed past the second location; converting the opticalsignals diverted toward the second node into corresponding electricalsignals, with the electrical signals including the electricalcommunication signals generated at the first node; sending thecorresponding electrical communication signals to a translation logicdevice for performing protocol translation; and amplifying the opticalsignals traveling in both directions between the first node and thesecond node, wherein the amplifying is performed passively and is forcompensating for at least some of the losses associated with divertingthe optical signals toward the second node and for losses associated theoptical bus.
 59. The method as set forth in claim 58, furthercomprising: generating second electrical communication signals at thesecond node; converting the second electrical communication signals intosecond optical communication signals; passively splitting the secondoptical communication signals into two components of the second opticalcommunication signals; routing the two components of the second opticalcommunication signals at the second location along the optical bus andpermitting the optical signals already on the optical bus traveling inboth directions to be passively routed pass the second location, therouting involving directing the two components of the second opticalcommunication signals in opposite directions along the optical bus andcombining the two components of the second optical communication signalswith any optical signals already on the optical bus; and at a thirdlocation along the optical bus, passively diverting at least some of theoptical signals on the bus traveling in both directions toward a thirdnode, wherein the diverting includes permitting the optical signalstraveling in both directions to be passively routed past the thirdlocation.
 60. The method as set forth in claim 59, wherein generatingthe second electrical communication signals at the second node andconverting the optical signals diverted toward the second node intocorresponding electrical signals occur simultaneously.
 61. The method asset forth in claim 58, further comprising sending the correspondingelectrical communication signals to terminal equipment.
 62. The methodas set forth in claim 61, wherein sending comprises sending thecorresponding electrical communication signals to a plurality ofterminal equipment.
 63. The method as set forth in claim 58, whereinpassively diverting at the second location comprises selecting opticalsignals as a set of wavelengths.
 64. The method as set forth in claim58, wherein passively diverting at the second location comprisesdiverting a fraction of the optical signals at all wavelengths.
 65. Themethod as set forth in claim 58, wherein passively diverting at thesecond location comprises selectively tuning a filter to a desiredwavelength to select optical signals at that desired wavelength.
 66. Themethod as set forth in claim 58, further comprising providing a back upoptical bus.
 67. A method of transporting optical signals between nodes,comprising: providing a bi-directional optical bus, the bi-directionaloptical bus permitting bi-directional communication between any of thenodes; passively diverting at least part of the optical signalstraveling along the bus in both directions toward each node; convertingelectrical signals generated at any of the nodes into converted opticalsignals; separating the converted optical signals into two componentsand passively combining the two components of the converted opticalsignals with the optical signals traveling in both directions along theoptical bus, wherein the passively combining involves directing the twocomponents of the converted optical signals in opposite directions alongthe optical bus; receiving at each node at least part of the opticalsignals traveling along the optical bus; at the nodes, converting thereceived optical signals back into corresponding the electrical signals;operating at least some of the nodes in full duplex such that each nodecan simultaneously transmit optical signals and receive optical signalsfrom another node; and providing passive amplification of the opticalsignals traveling along the optical bus, the passive amplification beingbi-directional and compensating at least for some of the lossesassociated with passively diverting the optical signals to each node andfor losses associated with the optical bus; wherein by passivelydiverting optical signals from the optical bus to each node and bypassively combining the two components of converted optical signals fromeach node onto the optical bus, each node can transmit optical signalsto any other node and also receive optical signals from any other node.68. The method as set forth in claim 67, wherein receiving at each nodeat least part of the optical signals traveling along the optical buscomprises selecting optical signals having only certain wavelengths. 69.The method as set forth in claim 67, wherein receiving at each node atleast part of the optical signals traveling along the optical buscomprises filtering out a group of the optical signals.
 70. The methodas set forth in claim 67, wherein receiving at each node at least partof the optical signals traveling along the optical bus compriseswavelength division multiplexing the optical signals on the bus.
 71. Themethod as set forth in claim 67, further comprising providing a back upbi-directional optical bus.
 72. An optical transport system enablingoptical communications between terminal equipment, comprising: anoptical bus for permitting bi-directional transmission of the opticalsignals; first terminal equipment for generating electricalcommunication signals; an electrical-to-optical converter for convertingthe electrical communication signals received from the first terminalequipment into optical communication signals; a first passive opticalinterface device coupled to the optical bus at a first location forrouting the optical communication signals received from theelectrical-to-optical converter onto the optical bus in both directionsand for permitting the optical signals traveling along the optical busto pass by in both directions; a second passive optical interface devicecoupled to the optical bus at a second location for routing the opticalcommunication signals traveling along the bus to at least oneoptical-to-electrical converter and for permitting the optical signalstraveling along the optical bus to pass by in both directions; at leastone optical-to-electrical converter for receiving the opticalcommunication signals from the second passive optical interface deviceand for converting the optical communication signals into the electricalcommunication signals; a plurality of terminal equipment for receivingthe electrical communication signals from the at least oneoptical-to-electrical converter; and a fiber optic amplifier forperforming bi-directional amplification of the optical signals; whereinelectrical communication signals from first terminal equipment istransmitted over the bi-directional optical bus and can be received byat least one of the plurality of terminal equipment.
 73. The opticaltransport system as set forth in claim 72, wherein the sytem includes aplurality of optical-to-electrical converters, each receiving theoptical communication signals from the second passive optical interfacedevice.
 74. The optical transport system as set forth in claim 73,wherein the plurality of terminal equipment receive the electricalcommunication signals from a respective one of the plurality ofoptical-to-electrical converters.
 75. The optical transport system asset forth in claim 72, wherein the plurality of terminal equipmentreceive the electrical communication signals from the oneoptical-to-electrical converter.
 76. An optical system for communicatingwith at least one other system over a bi-directional optical bus,comprising: an optical transmitter for receiving a first set ofelectrical signals and for producing a first set of optical signals; apassive optical interface device for being coupled to the optical busfor routing the first set of optical signals received from the opticaltransmitter onto the optical bus in both directions and for permittingoptical signals already traveling along the optical bus to pass by inboth directions; an optical receiver for receiving a second set ofoptical signals traveling along the optical bus from the passive opticalinterface device and for generating a second set of electrical signals;and a fiber optical amplifier for performing bi-directionalamplification of at least one of the first set and second set of opticalsignals; wherein the optical amplifier is for compensating for at leastsome of the coupling losses associated with the passive opticalinterface device.
 77. The optical communication system as set forth inclaim 76, wherein the optical amplifier is placed between the opticaltransmitter and the passive optical interface device and compensates forcoupling losses associated with routing the first set of optical signalsin both directions along the optical bus.
 78. The optical communicationsystem as set forth in claim 76, wherein the optical amplifier is placedbetween the optical receiver and the passive optical interface deviceand amplifies the second set of optical signals.
 79. The opticalcommunication system as set forth in claim 76, wherein the opticalamplifier is placed on the optical bus and is for amplifying the opticalsignals traveling along the optical bus.
 80. The optical communicationsystem as set forth in claim 76, wherein the passive optical interfacedevice isolates the optical receiver from the optical transmitter suchthat the optical transmitter and optical receiver can operate in fullduplex mode.
 81. A structure equipped with an optical system forcommunicating with at least one other system over a bi-directionaloptical bus, comprising: the structure; an optical transmitter containedwithin the structure for receiving a first set of electrical signals andfor producing a first set of optical signals; a passive opticalinterface device contained within the structure for being coupled to theoptical bus for routing the first set of optical signals received fromthe optical transmitter onto the optical bus in both directions and forpermitting optical signals already traveling along the optical bus topass by in both directions; an optical receiver contained within thestructure for receiving a second set of optical signals traveling alongthe optical bus from the passive optical interface device and forgenerating a second set of electrical signals; and an optical amplifiercontained within the structure for performing bi-directionalamplification of at least one of the first set and second set of opticalsignals; wherein the optical amplifier is for compensating for at leastsome of the coupling losses associated with the passive opticalinterface device and for losses associated with the bi-directionaloptical bus.
 82. A method for communicating at a first node with asecond node over a bi-directional optical bus, comprising: generating afirst set of electrical signals at the first node; converting the firstset of electrical signals into a first set of optical signals; passivelysplitting the first set of optical communication signals into twocomponents; routing the two components of the first set of opticalsignals along the optical bus and permitting the optical signals alreadyon the optical bus traveling in both directions to be passively routedpass the first node, the routing involving directing the two componentsof the first set of optical signals in opposite directions along theoptical bus and combining the two components with any optical signalsalready on the optical bus; passively diverting toward the first node, asecond set of optical signals which are generated by the second node andwhich are on the bus traveling in both directions, wherein the divertingincludes permitting at least some of the optical signals traveling inboth directions to be passively routed past the first node; convertingthe second set of optical signals into a second set of electricalsignals; and amplifying the optical signals traveling in both directionsbetween the first node and the second node, wherein the amplifying isperformed passively and is for compensating for at least some of thelosses associated with diverting the optical signals toward the firstnode and for losses associated with routing the optical signals alongthe optical bus.